REVIEW: Logitech Alert™ 750i Master System

Confession… I had a nanny cam… but not to watch the nanny… to watch my baby because I missed her so much. This was 3 years ago, right after I finished up my maternity leave and went back to work waaaaay before I was ready to. Not that I think I was ever ready to go back to work after having my daughter. My quitting a few months later is a testament to that. At the time I had found AT&T Remote Monitoring which I’m not even sure is supported anymore. It was a simple system that did just what I wanted. I put up a camera, out in the open, but didn’t tell my nanny. It wasn’t hidden, but nor was I going to acknowledge its existence. After all I did trust my nanny, I just wanted a window into my daughter’s day without me. At $199.99, it came with one camera and a bunch of other security features that were meaningless to me. All I wanted was the camera. It was great! For $9.95 a month, I had it set up in the nursery, and whenever I wanted to login, I could peek and see what she was up to. In the beginning I checked in often. Sometimes she was in there, sometimes she wasn’t. I was tempted to purchase additional cameras, but additional cameras also meant additional monthly fees. So I hung in there with one and if she was around to brighten my day, there she would be. After a few weeks the novelty wore off and seeing her on the camera only made me miss her more. I did appreciate what it could do though, but at $9.95 a month access fee, it wasn’t as cheap as I thought it was.

Now Logitech has come to the market with the Logitech Alert™ 750i Indoor Master System. This system blows AT&T Remote Monitor out of the water! I found, out of the box, it was so much easier to set up than the AT&T system. I was up and running within minutes. It uses state of the art HomePlug® networking technology which uses your existing outlets and electrical wiring to connect to your network and transmit video without new wires or networking hassles. You can view the videos on your computer, remotely and on select mobile phones like the iPhone, Blackberry and Android for FREE!

The HD (960×720 video at 15 frames per second) image quality was amazing. Everyone that I show the system to was amazed. And yes, it is still out in the open for everyone to see although it comes with various mounts for desktop, wall or suction mounting and the only distraction is the bright red LED light in the front which calls attention to itself. Hence why it was noticed by many during my son’s recent birthday party at home. I may need to tape that up with black tape if I want to be a little more inconspicuous. It made for nice conversation and of course showing off it’s live feed to my iPhone 4. It’s got motion trigger recording to your PC or even to the microSD card (included 2 gb) in the camera. For those who fear over-sensitive sensors, they have a unique motion zones feature that reduces false alarms, by allowing you to specify up to 16 motion-detection zones within the frame—such as doors and windows.

A handy feature for those using it as a true security system is their Motion Trigger Alerts. If there is motion on your property, you can know about it in an instant. That’s because cameras can be set up to send notifications to your e-mail address and mobile phone.

It has a suggested retail price of $299.99, which makes it about $100 more than my old AT&T Remote Monitor system, but it doesn’t have a monthly access fee for it’s basic features. You can purchase optional premium services like full control over your cameras view and remote web access to your network for an additional fee (approximately $80 a year).

Additional cameras can be purchased for $229.99 (indoor) or $279.99 (outdoor) which is a little pricey considering the Master System is not much more.

Aside from that, I once again get a glimpse into my children’s day without me while I’m in school. Since the school part isn’t something I can get out of, this is a happy compromise for me. For the occasional paranoia in me, I do sometimes login when we’re out and about just to check in… and thank GOD I have not seen any strangers on my iPhone because I’m not sure what I would do… other than look at them on my phone…

{ disclosure: I was NOT compensated for this review but the Logitech Alert 750i Master System was provided for review. As always, all opinions are my very own. }

Suzanne is student, daughter, wife, (labor & delivery) certified registered nurse, certified lactation counselor, friend, entrepreneur and blogger – but the job she's most proud of is mother… She shares her journey on this blog and The Disney Files.
Read more about her here.